Veneer drier



A. J. vANcE jan, 2Q, 1925.

VENEER DRIER Filed Aug. '1,V '1924, 2 sheets-sheet Hil. 1.1i. -L

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jan, 20, 1925.

A. J. vANcE VENEER DRIER 2v ,Sheets-Sheet" 2 Filed Aggyl 1924 l lu llll ll ll ll lll Patented Jan. 20, 1925.

UNITED STATES Partitur"V OFFICE.

.ARTHUR J. VANCE, OF IPAINESVILLE, OHIO, ASSIGNO TO THE COE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF PAINESVILLE, OHIO,` A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

'VENEER DRIER. Y'

Application led August 1, 1924. Serial No. 729,619.

To all whom it may concer/n.:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR J. VANcE, a citizen of the United Sta-tes, residing at Painesville, in the county of Lake and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements. .in Veneer Driers, of which the following is asspecitication.

This invention relates to driers for veneers and other like material wherein conveyors consisting of horizontal spaced pairs of rolls are arranged in several decks, one .above the other, for conveying the material through a drying chamber.

In such conveyors the drying chamber is generally quite' long and the rolls within it are supported by a metallic frame which, on

account of the variations in temperature inv the drier, vis subject to expansion and contraction to a considerable amount. The frame is made in sections and is mounted on rollers to allow for automatic expansion and contraction. Furthermore, the conveying` rolls for each deck are generally driven by a sprocket chain. Now the driving meehanism must be securely anchored to the foundation at one end of the drier and the sprockets, over which the chains reversel at the opposite end, must, likewise, be carried by a framework which is secured to the foun- (lation. Now the chains pass through the hot chamber and therefore expand and contract as the drier temperaturerises or falls. In order to keep the slack in the returning chain the same for different temperatures it is necessary for the sprocket over which the chain reverses to be movable. The frame "and reversing sprockets and their parts is termed the chain tightener. This invention is a means ofl automatically maintaining a constant tension on the slack side of the chain and automatically moving the reversing sprockets forward or backward to maintain a constant amount of slack from maximum to minimum temperature.

As above noted belt tighteners or chain tighteners have been employed heretofore, the chainsfor the several decks having been independently tightened. This entailed a series of screws or sets of springs or weights and the important object of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved belt tightener wherein all of the chains will be uniformly tensione'd by a single tension element.

With the above and other objects in view one form of the invention will now be described in detail and afterwards particularly pointed` out in the claims, referer/:e being had to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a belt .tightener -constructed in accordance with this invention, a portion lof a four deck drier being shown adjacent the drier with its side wall broken away in order to illustrate the'v drier arrangement for the drier' arrangement for the drier conveyor rolls.-

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1. Figure 3 is an enlarged side elevation of one of the carriages used herewith.

Figure 4 is an enlarged section on the line 4-4 of Figure 1'. A

Figure 5 is an enlarged section on the line 5 lof Figure 1.

Figure (i is a alan view of the carri-awe.A 2':

The chain tightener, in the present form, includes a frame having bottom channel members 10 provided at each end with spaced uprights 11, preferably made of angle iron and, at the endremote from vthe drier,

' channel uprights 12 are also employed. Be-

tween the uprights 1l are arranged a series of horizontally disposed I-beams 13,' these .beams being so arranged that their webs' are horizontal and the flanges vertical. The number of these beams is one greater than the number of decks in the drier. Thus in the four deck drier shown in the present drawings live beams are employed so that each'two adjacent beams form a track way and it will thus be obvious that there are -the same number of track ways as there are decks in the drier.

.Between each two adjacent beams 1s arranged a carriage which consists of a pair of flat plate sides 141: having rectangular central` portions and tapered ends. Connecting these sides at their lower parts are axles 15 whereon are mounted the carriage supported wheels 16 which rest on the webs of the beams 13 between the upwardy extending portionsl ofthe beam flanges. At thel top cach carriage is provided with a pairof guide lugs 17 which extends upwardly between the iianges of the beam over the carriage. Thus each of the beams between the carriage exercises the double function of being a track for one carriage and a guide for the top of the carriage immediately below. At the end of each carriage adjacent the drier there is provided an axle or shaftlS whereon mounted a sprocket -wheel if) around which passes thedrive chain 2() -tor the' particular deck driven by said chain, the chaii'i'j'iassing under sprockets 2l onthe end journalled ends of the conveyor rolls, and returning over the rollers 23 supported in the guide channels 24 of. the drier. At the end of veach carriage remote. from the drier is a second axle or shaft 25 whereon is mounted a grooved idler wheel 26. At the ends ot' each 'ot the beams, remote from the drier, on which the carriages rest there is -se cured to the uprights 1.2 shafts 27 whereon are grooved wheels QS.. To the upper end ot' the u-prights 12 is also secured a bearing bracket Q9 carrying a shat't 30 whereon is mounted a grooved wheel 3l. At 32 is a tension element. which may, if desired` be made of wire rope. This element has one end secured to the uprights 11 adjacent the drier andvis' then led under and around the lower idler 28, back under and around the lower mostot the grooved wheels 26 and thus to and fro until after leaving the upper wheel QG it is carried over and down around the wheel 3l, a suitable weight. 33 being attached to its tree end. lVhile the weight 33 has here been shown. as directly attached to the rope 32 it is obvious that an arrangement of blocks may be used so as to cause the weight to move vertically but a small distance in some cases, such an arrangement being well known and not deemed necessary to be here illustrated.

It Will now be plain that any variations in the length ofthe chains 20 will be at once accommodated by rnvementotl the carriage attached to that chain and it' the chains do not expand evenly -from any cause, with theI single weight and idler pulley arrangement will-take up such expansion or permit a corresponding contraction.

From the foregoing it will .be obvious that any number ot sprocket chains or other driving belts or ropes may thus be kept under proper tension by a single tension means.

H aving thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is: 1. A drive chain tightener -tor multiple deck'veneer driers, consisting. ot a series of track ways equal in number to the decks in the drier, and alined with the -driving side ot the drier, a carriage on each track movable longitudinally thereof, a drive chain idler wheel on the end of each carriage adjacent the drier, aV second idler at the opposite end ol' each carriage, other idlers at'the ends ot' the track ways remote from the drier and between the levels of the drier decks, a single tension element led baci and Jforth around the second and the last mentioned idlers and having one end iixedly secured, and means to exert constant tension on the remaining end et said element.

2. A drive chain tightener for multiple deck veneervdriers consisting otI a series ot` horizontally disposed tracks one more in number than the 'number ot decks in the dricrand arranged in superposed relation in alineiuent with the driving side otl the drier, a carriage between `each two adjacent tracks, wheels on the carriages supporting the same on the tracks beneath respective carriages, guides on the carriage engaging the tracks above said carriages, a drive chain idler wheel on eachgcarriage at the end adjacent the drier, other idlers at the ends of the track ways remote from the drier and between the levels otI the drier decks. a Single tension element led back and forth around the second and the. last mentioned idlers and having one end tixedly secured, and means to exert constant tension on the remaining end of said element.

i3. A drive chain tightener for multiple deck veneer driers 'consisting ot a series ot horizontally disposed vertically spaced I-beam having their flanges vertical and webs horizontal. said beams being one more in number than the decks in the drier whereby to provide a trackway for each deck. a carriage `tor each trackway, sup iorting wheels l'or the carriage bearing on tlie web ot' the beam below the respective track fay, `guide vmembers on each carriage engaging between the lower portions of the flanges et' the beam above the trackway ot said carriage, a drive chain idler wheel on cach carriage at the 'end adjacent the drier, other idlers at the ends ot the track ways remote t'rom the drier and between the levels ot the drier decks, a single tension element led back and torth around the second and the last mentioned 'idlers and having one end tixedly secured, and means to exert constant tension on the remaining end of Said element.

ln testimony whereof I aliix my signature.

ARTHUR J. VANCE.

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